You will need to sign on with your LLLID (La Leche League ID) before you can post. If you have never claimed your LLLID, create your LLLID now. To sign in, click the LLLID Sign On button in the upper right corner. Enter your LLLID Alias and click the button again.

I need some advice. I have so many things going against me.

I'll try to make this as short and precise as possible. I have an 11 week old. He's a great breastfeeder. However, we have recently encountered some issues. One of those issues was manageable. Now it's getting harder because there are numerous ones.

1) I have an issue with oversupply. My right side doesn't produce enough milk and the left side overproduces. Nothing I've tried seems to balance them out. Oftentimes when I feed him on the left side I start to drown him and then he get's hysterical. Right now he's refusing to eat because he got so upset at the crazy milk flow. I pumped it out, but he's still refusing to eat. I also understand that pumping will just encourage more milk. I can't seem to reduce it.

2) I took him to the doctor last week because he had blood in his stool for a week at that point. They suspected dairy and told me to cut it out. I've tried but a little bit still sneaks in and he still has a little blood in his stool a week later. I need to do better on this.

3) I go back to work in a week. I don't feel comfortable pumping there. For the last month, I've been pumping once a day to build up some breast milk for when I'm not there to feed him. My plan was to breastfeed him in the morning, pump on my lunch break, and then breastfeed him when he got home. When he's not with me he would be getting the milk that I froze and would continue to freeze. However, with this potential milk allergy I most likely have to dump all of that milk.

All of this issues have been so discouraging. What should I do? All I can think of right now is to go on the blandest diet possible and stick to that to alleviate this potential allergy. Then start supplementing with formula during the day and only breastfeed him the morning and at night. It kills me to have to feed him formula at all when I worked so hard to not have to do that for a few months.

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

I don't have all the answers but as far as the dairy allergy it can take up to 6 weeks to get the dairy out of your system and start seeing clear stools if that is what you suspect

also if you are looking to drastically change your diet to eliminate all possible allergens don't go 'bland' do the actual Total Elimination diet and work with your doctors.

are you interested in discussing why you don't feel comfortable pumping at work? I can tell you that with a baby so young if you are not pumping with the same frequency that he is feeding your supply will vanish. there is no way you can not pump all day and still breastfeed at night with such a newly established supply..... the constant demand is what keeps the milk flowing....my SIL tried this because she "didn't want to be bothered" with pumping during the week and so she tried/planned to pump extra on the weekends. by Friday night of week one her babe and her were both in tears and that Saturday when she tried to pump she was nearly dry....

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

I don't have all the answers but as far as the dairy allergy it can take up to 6 weeks to get the dairy out of your system and start seeing clear stools if that is what you suspect

also if you are looking to drastically change your diet to eliminate all possible allergens don't go 'bland' do the actual Total Elimination diet and work with your doctors.

are you interested in discussing why you don't feel comfortable pumping at work? I can tell you that with a baby so young if you are not pumping with the same frequency that he is feeding your supply will vanish. there is no way you can not pump all day and still breastfeed at night with such a newly established supply..... the constant demand is what keeps the milk flowing....my SIL tried this because she "didn't want to be bothered" with pumping during the week and so she tried/planned to pump extra on the weekends. by Friday night of week one her babe and her were both in tears and that Saturday when she tried to pump she was nearly dry....

Well it's kind of an embarrassment thing. There's no place to pump where it's quiet. Basically everyone there will hear it and know what I'm doing. I work with a bunch of guys. While no one will say anything about it to me, I'll still feel uncomfortable. However, I realize that if it's important to keep BF'ing to me, I'll do what needs to be done. I guess I haven't completely decided yet.

Thanks for the information on the TED. I will take a look at that. I have never heard of it. The Pedi. just said to stop eating Dairy.

I have another question actually. I initially thought it could be an oversupply issue. How would I know it's an allergy vs. an oversupply issue?

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

As far as your issues at work, can you run a fan or other white noise to drown out the sound of the pump? Anything to make you feel more comfortable. To some extent, yes, everyone will know what you are doing (they did in my office too! even though they couldn't hear the pump, it was commonly known that I was pumping), but in my experience, most people are WAY too self-absorbed to actually notice half of the stuff we think they notice. So I bet other folks hardly notice the sound of the pump, and don't care if they do notice it, so whatever it takes to make you feel more confident and comfortable. I agree with PP, you HAVE to pump at work if you want to continue to breastfeed. We don't recommend women pump wean until their baby is one year old. At 11 weeks, your supply is still very precarious.

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

I wanted to make it to at least six months. I'm glad I joined this site for encouragement. I was ready to throw in the towel this morning. I'm doing my research on the TED diet and helping my oversupply issues. And I'm seriously thinking about pumping at work.

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

Eliminating dairy can seem overwhelming at first. But, there are many foods available that do not contain dairy, and fortunately manufacturers are now listing allergens in bold print at the end of the list of ingredients. That does help a lot when shopping!

Some examples of dairy-free foods are:
bread
all veggies-you can steam them, roast them in the oven, put them in soups, eat them raw
nuts
hummus
fruits-smoothies are a good quick breakfast
dairy free cheese, milk, yogurt (for ex. soy and coconut)
all meats
Wish bone salad dressings have dairy free (and gluten free) varieties and aren't too expensive so they're good for salads.

This is just to give you some ideas. I'm vegan and I know it can be a lot to take in. My 3rd LO was said to have a dairy allergy, so that's how I first stumbled into a dairy free world. I also had OS, so like mommal said, its hard to tell what the culprit is sometimes.

There's also some recipe ideas in the allergy section I believe, if you want to check that out. Don't give up!

Re: I need some advice. I have so many things going against

Originally Posted by @llli*christinao

Eliminating dairy can seem overwhelming at first. But, there are many foods available that do not contain dairy, and fortunately manufacturers are now listing allergens in bold print at the end of the list of ingredients. That does help a lot when shopping!

Some examples of dairy-free foods are:
bread
all veggies-you can steam them, roast them in the oven, put them in soups, eat them raw
nuts
hummus
fruits-smoothies are a good quick breakfast
dairy free cheese, milk, yogurt (for ex. soy and coconut)
all meats
Wish bone salad dressings have dairy free (and gluten free) varieties and aren't too expensive so they're good for salads.

This is just to give you some ideas. I'm vegan and I know it can be a lot to take in. My 3rd LO was said to have a dairy allergy, so that's how I first stumbled into a dairy free world. I also had OS, so like mommal said, its hard to tell what the culprit is sometimes.

There's also some recipe ideas in the allergy section I believe, if you want to check that out. Don't give up!

with all of this, AND we have a whole section related to working moms and pumping so we can help there too!!